Feather your Nest Friday, 17th September, 2021.

We had beautiful Spring weather all week.   This had me outside a lot.  

Some of the ways I built up our home and got ahead were:

I dehydrated a bag of mushrooms I got on a really good deal.

I made two light fruit cakes using Dad's favourite recipe.

Each day I did a little bit of sewing.  This way I made a dress for Scarlett.  She asked for Kookaburras.


And a skirt for Harper.   I have a lot of plain t shirts to get out too, the ones I was given and washed up.  Some of these will go with the skirt just nicely.


I altered a little skirt I found that will fit both the girls. They share clothes as they are the same size. 

I was given 10 huge garbage bags of shredded paper.   I used most of it to mulch around the fruit trees and then watered it in.  It was enough to do all the trees then fill some nesting boxes for the chickens.   I am amazed how many free resources there are.  You just have to get word out to the right places! 

Our bee man gave us a tub of honey. 

I planted out 12 pumpkins,  8 Zucchini,  10 Tomato plants and tomorrow I have more to go.   I am doing a lot of weeding at the same time.  The goats love all the weeds so it is a win win.   I've given myself a bad knee from all the digging... but I notice the goats love the root systems as much as the tops of plants and this has kept me digging and making my knee worse! 


After watering today I covered some of my seedlings with old door screens until they get a bit bigger.



I planted up a Cucumber patch.  I really hope I can grow these successfully! 

Chloe gave me some pots so I filled and stacked them for an extra herb space.



Today I noticed the first Sunflowers are peeking through from my plantings last week.

If we could get some rain it would be wonderful.  The forecasts says yes so really hoping as things will do so much better with some rain on them.

All this outside work and the joy of some sewing made for a good week.   There is nothing like fresh air and sunshine to give you a good nights sleep.   No the news is not good.  So many people are impacted terribly,  separated from family,  loss of jobs and businesses and more.  Overall everyone I speak to is anxious and does not like the direction things are going.   I always talk about keeping our homes as a haven.  So much we can do at home and then in the community to encourage and help.   

Our neighbours and community really need our support. We can be a thousand speed bumps in the road to their ruin if we:

Support local businesses.  Get to know the people.   Frequent the small shops.
If you can't do that see if you can do online ordering from these small local shops.
Do you have farmers markets, local farms, road side sellers... support those.
Give help to local needs.    There are so many!   If visiting the lonely is not allowed write letters and send cards.  
We live in a world now that to be kind you have to be tenacious! 
Ok so tenacious we shall be!  

Now I have a secret.





Coming soon!

Now how did you build up your home, add to your pantry or garden? xxx






















Comments

  1. Dear Annabel,
    What an adorable puppy!! I just love all your animal pictures.
    You had a very productive week. We are doing what we can around here. I have been making Beef Bone Broth about 2x a week. We get our organic bones from a rancher. I try to drink a pint per day and it is delicious. The recipe I use was the last I tried in a long line of bone broth recipes. It is the only one that consistently produces delicious bone broth.
    I have a list of sewing that needs done. Right now, however, I have basil, rosemary, mint and a ton of parsley to dehydrate. Our plums, tomatoes and cucumbers need processed, also.
    Since we can purchase organic carrots, organic kale and organic spinach so inexpensively, we are doing that and dehydrating those. We have two ten tray dehydrators, so we can have several items going.
    Have a great weekend.
    Love and hugs,
    Glenda

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    1. Glenda ...can you share your recipe?

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    2. Dear Glenda,
      I think Bone Broth is the most nourishing and soothing thing you can have. It is wonderful you have so many herbs to dehydrate. And so nice to have plums, tomatoes and cucumbers! Yes you are busy! I can just picture your dehydrators both working hard together! While you have all this produce it comes first and sewing will wait! With much love Annabel.xxx

      Stacy, Glenda has promised the recipe so Ill will post it shortly.xx

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  2. Our summer is winding down and this morning I saw yellow leaves on the ground in the back yard. It is fun to watch your summer begin and your seedlings popping up. That looks like a happy secret! I have appreciated the preparedness series this week. We did add a driveway alarm and are so happy to have it already.

    Our bumbling president has only made things worse and people more divided with his silly vaccine orders. If he thought he could force those who are unwilling he was wrong. Vaccine rates are way down as a result. We try to ignore the whole mess and just go on. We were heartbroken to hear that our next door neighbor has cancer. This gives us another focus and we hope we can support them in this time of need. We can pray for them if nothing else.

    I have added a good number of Christmas gifts to my closet this week. I took advantage of many sales and have a nice pile for the grandchildren already. I think I will go ahead and begin the wrapping and those will be done.

    One upsetting thing from the week was that our neighbor across the street received a mailer envelope in the mail that contained a used facemask. The return address was a vacant building in NY City. Be careful opening mail that you don't recognize!

    Have a lovely weekend all!

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    1. Dear Lana, Good work on the driveway alarm! I like ours very much. I feel early warning is very good. All these steps add up.
      I feel that as soon as there are threats, coercion, demands, loss of freedoms... all my alarm bells start off. And rightly so. Oh I am sorry about your neighbour and how you can help and comfort them.
      It is so good about your Christmas closet! With Grand children it is so nice and so exciting that it lifts everyones spirits to see them enjoy Christmas so much. I have been filling my gift cupboard too and Im so happy to have it!
      What an odd thing to happen to your neighbour. How unsettling! There are some crazy people.
      Have a lovely Sunday. I know the next few days will be busy for me so Im taking today easy! With much love Annabel.xxx

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  3. Your sewing is just beautiful. I know the girls love wearing everything you make for them. And a puppy!!! Animals add such joy and happiness to a home.
    I'm still canning everything I can find. If I have some days with nothing garden wise then I can up dried beans for easy soup making or other bean dishes. Home canned beans are so much cheaper and taste better. I've also done some scrap canning with a batch of corncob jelly and a double batch of watermelon rind jam. Both are delicious.
    Craziness abounds so I'm in my Bible daily, praying throughout the day, and listening to hymns when it seems to much. God is good.
    Ginger

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    1. Dear Ginger, You are doing well! Prayer plus action! Very good use of scrap items too!
      As things swirl around us our feet are on solid ground. I say take every opportunity to add to the pantry and I hope this week gives me opportunities too! With love Annabel.xxx

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  4. Dear Annabel,

    What a cute little puppy!!!!!!!!!! And the dress and skirt you sewed for the girls are so cute, too.

    I am woefully behind in the preparedness challenge, except for the pantry bit, as it is full on preserving season right now. I have done apple chips and sauce, pickles, salsa, peaches, grape juice, beans, beets, corn...I can't remember it all, but let's just say, winter will be a holiday! Ha, ha. I have been picking up an extra thing or two for store pantry items each time I go in, too. And we are very mindful that there seem to be shortages here and there, so we are thinking longer range on some items than we normally would (not just pantry items...but things like car tires, etc.)

    I'd best move on and get out and dig potatoes. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and even though I'm not caught up with the challenge, I am reading each post and taking notes to get to things a.s.a.p. You have had some very thought-provoking posts! Can't wait to hear more about the puppy!

    xx Jen in NS

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    1. Dear Jen,
      While you are preserving you just have to put that first. It is really the best thing you can be doing anyhow! Adding to your pantry! Wow your garden has been really producing a lot!
      You are doing a good job and getting through a lot of work! I hope you get a break over the weekend! With much love Annabel.xxx

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  5. Hi Annabel,
    I'm super late to see the Friday post, but awww, who is the adorable new furbaby?? can't wait to heard all about him or her.
    Blessings, Laura

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    1. Have a lovely weekend Laura! I will have some more photos soon!xxxx

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  6. Oh, what a secret! But I think the cat is out of the bag now...or the dog, LOL.

    This has been a week of mostly the usual frugal stuff. No big savings, but no real hits, either. I was sick one day with gastro issues, which was a bummer.

    The big news is that the great State of Idaho, USA, has a huge budget surplus! We received an additional $100 tax refund as a result. The state also reduced its income tax rates going forward.

    Might have mentioned this in another post--but I asked on the Buy Nothing page for Italian prune plums and received two offers in the first hour. (This is the urban equivalent of rural foraging, and I highly recommend it. A lot of tree fruit never gets picked and people are glad to give it away). I picked a small box the next day and canned 12 pints. That's the good news. The bad news is that 3 jars broke in the canner. I have no idea why. The jars were Ball widemouth with new lids. I have only ever had 3 or 4 jars break over the years and they were all genuine mason jars.

    I canned another 3-1/2 pints of tomatoes, still reusing lids. The harvest is really slowing down--even the zucchini. I still plan to can a few more pints, but it will probably take most of the next week to harvest that many. The tomatoes are small and there are lots of greenies on the vine.

    I read a library book that was OK, but just OK. So glad I didn't spend $30 for it!

    I needed 4 greeting cards this week for close relatives. I went with $1 cards from Dollar Tree (I usually stay with the .50 rack). I had been in a hurry and looked at cards at Target (because I was there) and they were running $5.69 each. The DT cards weren't QUITE as nice, but they were fine, even for people that really matter to me. I saved over $18!

    I stopped by the liquidation store that sells Costco overstocks and returns and bought a pair of black dress pants--which I needed desperately--for $7.49.

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    1. Dear Maxine,
      I hope you are feeling all better now. Many of the things we do week to week really add up but they are so normal to us we dont mention them. But they are probably not normal to everyone!
      Wow on the tax refund! That is good and amazing to hear of a place actually balancing the books and having a surplus!
      Cards can be a huge expensive. Good job there.
      Great deal on the back pants also! I love how you got the plums!! Good job. We got to put ourselves out there and ask!
      A very good and busy week! With love Annabel.xxx

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  7. Your dress and skirt are both lovely! Funny, how you are getting your garden in and we in the U.S. are winding down with ours.
    My week has been busy! I have been canning pizza sauce and cooking applesauce every spare moment. We have 3 teens shucking corn in the afternoons for a nearby farmer. One teen to cross-country practices daily. But we are thankful for these opportunities. Winter will be here soon and the farm work will be over soon.
    Thank you for your inspiration and wisdom, Annabel. This site is a blessing to many!

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    1. Dear Lesley, Thank you! Yes we are opposite seasons and a lot of people comment to me how it is funny we have Christmas in the heat! But that is what we are used to. White Christmas' are something from the movies to me!
      You are busy! Good to hear the teens are so busy too! Working hard! The pizza sauce and apple sauce will be soo good! Thank so much, we have fun working together every across such distances! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  8. Annabel, you are worth more than Gold. I enjoyed reading over your weekly achievements and seeing a new puppy face was a delicious bonus. Some friends of ours run a luxury holiday home. They have a near new silver LG fridge/freezer that the ice making part has malfunctioned on. They were taking it to the tip - then offered it to us when they heard my husband say we need to replace our old fridge. That is a big blessing. I have talked to some family today after a very bad week. I am grateful that I have people to talk to. All my washing is drying in the wind, my husband is working on making a new trailer and my daughter is watching Harry Potter. Love Clare

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    1. Dear Clare, Oh my goodness how wonderful to get that fridge! I bet it is as good as new. Thank you so much Clare. I am really sorry you had such a week. I hope you can re group over the weekend. Maybe plant your sunflowers! They are stunning and you are the best sunflower grower I have ever known! Also all that seed you end up with is valuable too. Win win! It is also windy here today and we have had a big bonfire and Ive been planting tomatoes. Maybe a restful day tomorrow! With love Annabel.xxx

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  9. Louise from Long Island, NY17 September 2021 at 20:58

    Greetings Bluebirds! Annabel, your series is amazing! So much accomplished, but so much more to be done. Glenda, can you share your bone broth recipe? I drink a lot of chicken bone broth, but drinking some beef broth might be a nice change. Also for us US ladies, I read an article that there may be some dried bean shortages looming over the horizon this winter, among other things in short supply, so maybe more beans in the pantry might be in order. Prayers for all!

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    1. Dear Louise, I will be sure Glenda sees your request. I am such a big believer in the benefits of bone broth. Good for everything! I think the beef bones you get more marrow from just because they are much larger bones. Anyway I am sure Glenda will help! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Louise from Long Island, NY18 September 2021 at 06:11

      Thank you! Annabel, you are an amazing person. God sends us Guardian Angels 😇 all the time, but sometimes we’re too busy to realize it. How blessed we Bluebirds are to have you at this point in history ... the entire world needs to notice and heed their Guardian Angels now, more than ever.

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    3. I will e-mail the Beef Bone Broth recipe to you for those wanting it tomorrow, Annabel. It is so good. I was not a big bone broth fan because I couldn't find a recipe that wasn't watery; this one is rich in flavor and has good substance. Now, I look forward to my bone broth each day. The recipe can be used for any meat.
      Love and hugs,
      Glenda

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  10. Your comment about making your home a haven reminded me of something. The Quaker religion has queries. They are questions they ask themselves about various topics. They may differ from group to group and are not answered aloud. They are just a way for individuals to think about the way they are living their lives. One about home is particularly appealing to me: Do you make your home a place of friendliness, refreshment and peace, where God becomes more real to those who dwell within and to all who visit there?

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    1. Dear Susan,
      How lovely! Well I think we can get very worried about how our home looks etc but what people want is to feel welcome and to experience friendship and conversation. I have had to learn a lot of lessons in this. I am also big on comforts. Peace and comfort. There is nothing that is nicer than to truly be able to relax in comfort.
      I might go have a look for this website now... With love Annabel.xxx

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  11. Aww, that puppy is adorable! I love dogs, they have my heart. The dress and skirt for the girls are lovely. You had a very busy week but sunshine and spring in the air must give you extra energy! We have more and more autumn signs here and a rainy day. The bad news is that covid numbers grow every day and school started this week. Also prices for electricity and natural gas for heating skyrocketed 30% and almost 70% high. I am waiting for my bills at the end of the month but some of my colleagues at work already got them and are huge. It is a scandal in the country up to the government! The good news is the farmers market is very rich this year and I keep making cucumber picles and plum and peaches jam. I harvest from the garden chilli peppers, mint, wallnuts every day. I planted a lot of tulips for next spring and three more blackcurrant bushes I saved by cuttings. In the evening I crochet a babyblanket as a gift and start enjoying inside autumn evenings. Have a nice weekend Annabel and all the lovely bluebirds here. Laura_s_world

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    1. Dear Laura, I am sorry to be so slow to reply. I am hearing more and more now about these gas prices! This is not good! Also I am hearing of shortages. And that it will continue to rise. So please make sure you will be ok for winter.
      You should do well with your pickles and jams! Also very good on the bushes grown from cuttings. I love having something nice to work on in the evenings! Thanks so much Laura and also for the information. With love Annabel.xxx

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  12. Now that baby is going to have a wonderful life!!! May each puppy get a wonderful home like yours did💖💙❣️ And may the Lord bless our dog lady :)
    So much good stuff you got done, Annabel - including the girl's dress and skirt....adorable! How wonderful your seedlings are sprouting and becoming plants already. I like the herb pots you made up from Chloe.
    It's Fall here in 4 days and we can already feel it - yay!!
    Mary in SD xx to all

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    1. Dear Mary,
      I am wanting to write to you so I will try and get to that tonight! I love Autumn that is my favourite. But Im quite enjoying Spring. Its summer Im not keen on! My herbs have grown too! I get to see puppy again on Monday so I will have more photos! With love Annabel.xxx

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  13. A good week for you, Annabel. Love the things you made for the girls. And. I'd say that pup is a keeper. So precious.
    I haven't been on here much as things got put aside due to a hospital stay last weekend. I mentioned to my doctor that I was having mild chest pains and he promptly sent me to the ER and the hospital for tests. I learned these doctors take the magic words "chest pain" very seriously. I was irritated to have my life and my projects interrupted but now I'm thinking the most important thing we can do is take care of our health first. So, more tests are scheduled and I'm hoping for the best.
    I was so glad to get home and be able to cook as the hospital food was horrid! I have several things I'm working on, trying to implement all the good ideas from the preparedness series. That is keeping me busy! I finally got seed potatoes planted and watered in. I washed bed linens and line-dried them. Now I'm going to do some reading and catch up with everyone. Wishing you all the best!

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    1. Dear Pam, I am hoping you are feeling ok and the test results have been ok too. It is better to be on the cautious side. Im glad your Dr. was so cautious
      So sorry I took all week to reply. I was away a couple of nights. Thats not much but it takes me a while to catch up. Please let me know how you are. With much love Annabel.xxx

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  14. Home is a haven and I hope that people are realising that now as they are forced to be there. I often asked my husband why people worked so hard to have these nice big homes, and then went away every holidays! I hope they are finding it a happy place to be now! We love being at home. I got a huge pumpkin for $3 and it has made pureed pumpkin to have with sausages, roast pumpkin to have with our Sunday roast and there is plenty left over to make into soup. I will use the chicken carcass to make some stock too. It's too early for many plants, but I have potatoes, lettuce and spinach in the garden. I'm so glad that we have a good supply of seeds as even Bunnings has stopped selling seedlings and you can only order seeds for click and collect - and most of these are sold out! Crazy times!
    I can't wait to hear more about that gorgeous little surprise of yours :)
    Take care,
    Kirsty

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    1. Dear Kirsty, I think like you do! I get things so I like them so much at home that I am not keen to go away. I had no idea Bunnings stopped selling seedlings! I love pumpkin too and you made the most of it, sounds delicious!
      On Monday I will see my puppy again and will try and get a lot of new photos! With much love Annabel.xxx

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